An ongoing series of spaceships (2018-present) based on letters, numbers and symbols. This work was initially inspired by my three year old son and as he got older the ships became more complex. He is part of the design process choosing color schemes, play functions, and part usage. Ultimately they are designed for him to play with.
Growing up I played with LEGO® and loved to draw. Everyone told me I should be an architect. I ended up studying architecture for 2 years in college before switching to education. I have been fortunate to be frequently asked to build architectural models on commission which allows me to revisit that passion.
A commissioned build of (legendary anchorman) Bill Kurtis’s home.
Over the years I have captured important moments of my life and that of my family using LEGO® bricks. Each build tells a story of a place and a time. The builds find an important place in our home where we can reflect on the past and share them with guests.
This series of builds co-conceived with Richard Dryden is designed to showcase Black creativity in its many forms allowing mirrors and windows to the viewer and welcoming a diverse community to building.
Brining LEGO® bricks to life through expression is one of my favorite parts about the medium. I love exploring new ways to create human and anthropomorphized forms.
Some builds transcend categorization. Built on a whim, when the inspiration strikes, for a collaboration, or a commission, these builds all bring unique and diverse techniques and creative thought.
In 2021, I competed with my partner Richard Dryden in the FOX competition reality television program LEGO® Masters. We collaborated on nine challenges and I subsequently did miniature versions to celebrate our experience.
Creating text and images using bricks has always been a favorite exploration. I attribute this affinity to all the time I have spent teaching kindergarteners their letters and numbers. You can see the wide influence it has had on many parts of my portfolio.
A large scale build based on the children’s book by Roald Dahl
Every year I read Roald Dahl’s story to my kindergarten class. I love the fantastical imagery, the sharp wit, and the moments of building friendships. I’ve often imagined what these creatures and environments would look like if they were made of LEGO.
Seven years ago I created a few characters and one section of the peach, but it became clear that this would be a massive project so I put it on the shelf to gather dust. This past December I decided to revisit it.
The first step was building the rest of the characters - small chunks would help build momentum so the 7 insects were quickly finished. Next I completed the other 5 sections of the giant Lowell sphere in light and dark bley plates. A light technic frame is used to hold the sphere together. The peach was “painted” with 1x1 plates in an exaggerated peach color palate. A hollow stem was added to accommodate the flex tube used for the seagulls. Each “string” is made up of 3 sections of flex tube connected with Apollo studs and then threaded with wire to add rigidity. The water was built with a layer on 1x2 trans tile atop two layers of 1x2 trans plate. This sheet of water allowed me to flex the water into an undular shape and then add lighting elements underneath. A cylinder was created to sit under and above the water and the peach gently rested upon this shape. I had to determine how many sharks were needed (20), and each one is unique. I left James for last. My 8 year old son suggested that James be relaxing in the leaf after accomplishing the task of lifting the peach out of the water.
This is the biggest build I have done since LEGO Masters and I put all of the skills I learned about color, composition, story-telling, and technical ability to work. I was thrilled to be one of five nominees for “best pop-culture” at Brickworld. The display was purposefully dropped off the table on a custom made 18” box so that kids at Brickworld would be at eye level with the characters.
Having LEGO® in the classroom is an important part of my kindergarten curriculum. We use it as an art medium but also as a problem solving tool. On occasion I have also hosted private workshops in my studio. The works below are projects conceived by each student and then built using collaborative problem solving and introduction of advanced techniques. The goal was to help each builder advance their abilities and have new skills and strategies to apply to their building at home.
